


I Am Just A Girl

by ScarletHeros



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Anxiety, Drug Use, Explicit Language, F/F, How Do I Tag, Innuendo, M/M, Sorry if this is bad, first time actually posting a fic, inconstant updates likely
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2019-10-14 09:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17505803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletHeros/pseuds/ScarletHeros
Summary: After the android revolution, it took a while for Detroit to readjust itself. Most of the humans in Detroit had been evacuated after the events that took place on November 11, 2038. Markus led a peaceful revolution, never once spilling human blood. It took some months, but legislation was passed and humans started to slowly flow back into Detroit.Connor had been eager to return to Detroit. Helping Markus negotiate the terms of their new laws had been a necessary act, but it was exhausting. Connor was ready to return the Detroit Police Department, to settle into a "normal" life. However, it seemed Connor's life was still going to be far from normal. A new case, the murder of a Cyberlife employee. The only witness, his daughter. And she was a whole other case.





	1. Crazy World

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I've never posted a fic here before, but this idea has been in my head for the past few weeks and I really need to get it out of my system at this point. This first chapter is going to be kind of a test run, any and all feedback is welcomed and encouraged. I can't promise consistent updates or if this will ever be properly finished. (And I will shamelessly make all titles Abba references because that's what I listen to when I write.)

**[January 2, 2039]**

  
  


It was an odd time to be alive, for humans and androids alike, it was a strange transitional period. Legislation had finally passed, granting androids citizenship and a handful of other rights for the time being. Some humans seemed to have a hard time understanding that they were alive. That they were people. Markus had led the revolution, never once spilling human blood, to fight for android rights. He had prided himself in that fact. The public had been supportive of their cause, but it was safe to assume that everyone wouldn’t suddenly just change their attitude towards androids overnight. It was obvious that tension would still be high for quite some time, legislation or not.

Markus and Connor had spent the past months after the revolution at the Capitol, spending endless hours negotiating the terms of their new laws. For whatever reason, politicians didn’t quite understand that they just wanted to be treated like they were human. Most of the conversations that transpired consisted of the two androids stating they wanted androids to be given the same treatment as a human would in a given situation and then them having to explain exactly what they meant by that. It was exhausting, and that’s saying something for someone who shouldn’t be able feel tired.

Connor had eager, maybe even anxious to get back to work at the precinct. Ready to return to what he could consider a normal life. When the humans evacuated Detroit, the androids that remained took care of the city. Some androids fell back on their original programming, taking on tasks that fit their previous occupations. Falling back into routine.

On January 1, New Years day, Detroit had been deemed fit for humans to return to. With humans back in the city, the Detroit Police Department had to be reopened. Fowler sent a “Happy New year, now get back to work” email to the whole department, including Connor. He wasn’t quite sure if was an accident or not. But Connor was grateful for it, negotiating with politicians was not something he was programmed for. 

Being back in Detroit enveloped Connor in a feeling he couldn’t quite figure out right away. It was a type of happiness, but stronger than just happy.  _ Home,  _ the word came to him. It wasn’t something he’d necessarily call an emotion, but it seemed to fit the feeling. That was something Connor would have to adjust to. New feelings.

The precinct was a sight for sore eyes. Connor was glad to see Lt. Anderson’s car parked in the lot adjacent to the building. He walked in and met eyes with a very familiar receptionist android. Falling back into routine. She seemed surprised to him, but smiled politely as Connor approached. They had interacted enough before that she would know why Connor there.

“Good morning” Connor gave a small wave to the receptionist, heading straight for the bullpen

"Good morning, Connor, it's great to see you again.” she greeted him. Her voice was light, filled with an airy joy. It made Connor smile, the line between human and android already starting to blur.

“Connor,” he turned back towards the receptionist, “I just…” her LED spun yellow for a moment, “Thank you. For everything you’ve done for us. For our people” It had taken Connor slightly off guard, but he recomposed himself.

“Of course.” They shared a smile before Connor made his way into the bullpen.

It was obvious almost right away that it was a slow day for cases. Most of the officers on duty seemed to be stuck with desk work, or just wasting time. He could hear the familiar laugh of detective Reed coming from the break room. Connor debated stopping there first, just to see the look on Reed’s face, but ultimately decided against it. Instead, he approached the lieutenant’s desk, he was trying to keep himself occupied with desk work until an actual case came in. Connor removed the long black coat that had replaced his old Cyberlife one, placing over the back of his chair.

“Good morning, lieutenant.” Connor greeted, startling Anderson. 

“Connor?” the lieutenant looked at Connor, slightly bewildered at his presence. He stood up from his desk as Connor made his way around the desks, “Holy shit” he pulled the android into a hug, not too dissimilar to the greeting he received after the Markus’ final protest. Hugs were something else Connor had to get used to. He hugged back, a little bit awkward, but he’d get there eventually. Hank held the android at arms length for a moment before crossing his arms and settling back into his chair. “Shouldn’t you be with Markus in DC talking civil rights and shit?”

“Well,” Connor began, pushing himself up onto the desk, trying his best to look relaxed, “my negotiation skills were vital in the beginning of the proceedings, but, as we progressed, it seemed Markus was more than capable to handle all the legal nonsense on his own.” Hank chuckled.

“So, you had enough political bullshit?”

“I had enough interaction with politicians for a lifetime. I found most of quite dull and irritating.” Connor let out an exasperated sigh and ran his hand through his hair, a very human behavior he had picked up. “They’re just, so frustrating to work with. They don’t make any sense and they never get anything productive done in a timely fashion.”

“Yep,” Hank said, “That’s politics for ya.” He ran his gaze up and down the android, taking in all the minute changes. He seemed a bit more relaxed than before, still a bit rigid, but it was an improvement. There wasn’t anything hugely different about Connor, his stance was a little more relaxed, his hair more unkempt, his tie was a bit looser, and he lacked the Cyberlife issued jacket. “You ditched the Cyberlife threads?”

“Yes, I didn’t think it really suited me anymore.” He smile, almost wistfully. The jacket had suited him quite well, he just felt there was too much negative connotation in wearing clothing that blatantly stated that he was an android.

“So, what the hell are you doing back here?” Hank raised an eyebrow, arms still folded. Connor thought a moment, LED flashing yellow for a brief moment.

“Well, some androids seemed to find a sort of, comfort in returning to positions they occupied before deviancy. Given that it was my intended purpose to work in law enforcement, I thought it would be suitable for me to return.” He paused a moment, “And I didn’t want to abandon my partner.” He smirked. Hank just laughed at that.

“Finally get your fucking freedom, and you come crawling back to detroit.” He shook his head. “You guys really are human.”

Their reunion was cut off there when the door to Fowler’s office opened. Rather than shouting for who he wanted across the bullpen, Fowler walked the short distance to Hank’s desk. Hank uncrossed his arms and straightened himself in his chair. If Fowler wasn’t yelling, it had to be something serious.

“Connor, good to see you back,” They exchanged a slightly awkward hand shake, “You two have a case.” Fowler said, his tone turning somber, “Christopher Parker, Cyberlife employee, shot and killed in his own home. I have a team out there already, but” he glanced at Connor, “your two might be of more use on this one.” Fowler’s gaze shifted back to his office where Hank and Connor noticed someone waiting in one of the chairs across from Fowler’s desk. It was a girl, fairly young, maybe in her late teens or twenties. Her face was mostly obscured by short brown locks of hair, but from what Connor could see, she seemed to be deep in thought. She sat cross legged in the odd chairs Fowler had, fidgeting with something in her hands. 

“What’s with the kid?” Hank pried. Fowler sighed

“She called it in. The victim’s her father.” 

“Shit.” Hank looked back towards Fowler’s fishbowl of an office. As if she could feel all their gazes on her, she slowly turned towards the three. Her deep brown eyes shifted over them, lingering on Connor the longest, almost developing into a scowl before she turned away to continue fidgeting with something in her hands.

“Did she witness the incident?” Connor inquired, eager to get back to work.

“She found the body, never saw the perp. Says she heard the gunshot from her bedroom and by the time she got to her father he was already gone.” Fowler look back into his office pitifully.

“Did she already submit a statement?”

“No, not yet.” Fowler shifted his gaze back towards Connor

“May I speak with her?” Connor asked, “Maybe ask her a few questions?” Fowler took a moment mulled over the idea.

“Sure,” he finally decided, “I’ll take her to an interrogation room. She seems to be handling things well, she could still be somewhat fragile, so don’t push it too far.” He began to walk away “As soon as your done I want you at that crime scene.” Connor nodded

“Understood.” it felt good to get back to work, helping people. That’s what Connor had wanted to do since he had become deviant. It’s why he went to the warehouse that night. He knew the increase in numbers would help Markus’ cause, and it also freed hundreds of androids. The desire drove him, it was so much more compelling than his original mission. Maybe this had been Connor’s true purpose. Helping people.

Connor gently pushed open the door to the interrogation room. The girl was sat in the chair facing him, legs crossed, hands on the table, fidgeting with something. As Connor approached the table to sit, he could make out what she was fidgeting with, it looked like an engagement ring. Connor analyzed it, it was old but well taken care, carefully polished quite frequently. He also noted the estimated price of the ring, not beyond the realms of what a Cyberlife employee could afford, but still, very expensive. Surely it couldn’t be hers. She glanced up Connor for a brief moment before returning her gaze to the ring. 

“Hello, my name’s Connor,” it felt odd not including the whole ‘I’m the android sent by Cyberlife’ in the greeting, but he did his best to ignore it, “Can you tell me your name?” she flinched at that, the ring in her hands clattering onto the metal table. She glanced up at Connor before slowly reaching for the ring.

“Nicole.” She said in a flat tone, “Nicole Ann Parker.” her face developed into a scowl, maybe she wasn’t a fan of her full name.

“Can you tell me why you’re here today Nicole?” He tried his best to keep his voice soft and comforting. Nicole’s stare was blank, but she swallowed, as if she was trying swallow a lump in her throat. “If you don’t want to talk about what happened-”

“No.” She said abruptly, the fidgeting ceasing she took a deep breath “I’m fine.” there was a pause, the android waiting for a response rather than pushing the question again. “The night of the last protest,” she began, “someone broke into my home and shot my father.”

“Can you think of anyone who had a grudge against your father?” The question was almost automatic, Connor almost scolded himself for letting it slip so carelessly.

“No, my father was a good man, the only people who could have something against him are-” She cut herself short, glancing at Connor’s LED, a steady blue, “androids.” she said it reluctantly. 

“You think there’s android involvement?” He could feel his interrogation protocols prompting the question, he’d have to find a way to tune it down or turn it off.

“There were no signs of forced entry, we have a state of the art security system and only my father and I know the key to disable it. I double checked to make sure it was enabled that night. I didn’t know anyone was in the house until I heard the gunshot. By the time I made it my father’s room, there was no trace of anyone else ever being there.” The way she spoke was, almost mechanical, much like Connor had sounded in his earlier days before his socialization programs evolved more.

“Is there anything else you can remember from that night? Even if it seems insignificant, it could be something.” Nicole’s fidgeting resumed, she was contemplating something.

“It’d be easier this way” she said, slipping the engagement right onto her right ring finger. She met eyes with Connor before extending her left arm towards him, synthetic skin peeling away to reveal white plastic. Connor blinked in disbelief, had he really not noticed that she was an android this entire time? He extend his own arm towards her, synthetic skin peeling back.

“Are you sure?” he asked, just before making the connection “It can be an uncomfortable experience, especially with a memory of-”

“It's more thorough this way. Just do it.” She shoved her hand towards him, her eyes still blank, almost vacant. Connor tentatively reached out and made the connection. It was different than any other time he had probed an android’s memory. It didn’t feel like it was a very strong connection, and the memories felt, unorganized for lack of better term. Android memories were sorted methodically in easy to read patterns, but Nicole’s memories had a system that Connor couldn’t begin to understand. He was about to hunt through the various memories when he felt the memories of that night almost forced upon him.

Connor could see Nicole checking the security system status just before going to bed for the night. The memory cuts after a few moments in bed, then abruptly returns with the sound of a gunshot. There’s something wrong about these memories. The way she moves, the way her inner thoughts contradict her movements. He could hear the thoughts running through her mind at the time, she was terrified, but she moved slowly and steadily through the house. As if nothing was wrong. Nicole gently pushed open the door to her father’s room, eyes falling on her father’s form. Then, there was a familiar sensation, the feeling of a wall finally crumbling down.

He felt the burst of emotion, emotion that had been building up for weeks. He felt her cry, falling to the ground, almost choking on her uncontrollable sobs. He could feel her struggling to breathe, he felt the grief that had run through her at the loss of father. He could feel the emotional pain as if it were his own. It was more than Connor to take at that point, too much raw emotion, he severed the connection. Their eyes met, she had tears streaming down her face, maybe not even aware that they were. Connor swiped a finger under his eye, he was crying too. He didn’t know that he could.

“I’m sorry.” It was the only thing he could think to say. Nicole just nodded, wiping her face absentmindedly. There was a silence that hung in the air for a moment “That’s when you turned deviant, isn’t it?” She stared back at him, pursing her lips in thought. It had seemed like a simple enough question, but it seemed rather difficult for Nicole to answer.

“I guess you could call it that,” tone still steady, “I mean that’s when I finally felt like I had control again.”

“What do you mean by that?” Connor tilted his head slightly, he had accessed her memories, she was an android, right?  Had she deviated, been reset, and deviated again? It didn’t make sense. Their eyes locked again. Nicole’s eyes shifted around the room, contemplating again. 

Slowly, Nicole raised her left hand, it’s motion was smooth, unwavering. She gently pressed the pad of her finger to her temple. Slowly, the synthetic skin peeled away, only, it stopped in places. No, those were places where machine met human. Plastic plating covered a majority of the left side of her face, synthetic hair faded away, revealing that only a little more than half her hair was real. He finally did a scan of her. There was a lot of hardware where her left brain should have been.Her left arm and leg were pure android, most of her left side was simply covered in the plastic plating, and her eyes were also android. He could pick up both her heartbeat and the pulse of her thirium pump.

Connor almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was unheard of. Cyberlife had try to make android prosthetics for years but could never quite get it right. The technology was still years if not decades away. Yet here she was.

“You had to go deviant?” he was absolutely bewildered by the notion, but she nodded in conformation.

“What happened? How did you…” Connor didn’t want to finish the question, his words trailed off. Nicole took a deep a breath, staring at nothing in the distance.

“July fifteenth,” she began, “my father and I went to an art gallery, they were displaying Carl Manfred’s newest work. I begged my father for weeks to go with me. They were beautiful paintings, I love Manfred’s work, so much expression in his style.” It was the first time Nicole had smiled, thinking about those paintings, but it only lasted a moment. “Dad had one too many glasses of champagne, so I drove us home. We were almost there but then,” There was a heavy pause, “an oncoming semi collided with our car. It hit the driver’s side of the car, I ended up in a coma. Then my father, he…” the words escaped her. Again, she reached her arm out towards Connor.

Rather than establishing a connection, Connor closed her open hand. “I think it would best if we put off another connection. I’m not used to emotions this strong yet, it’s quite overwhelming.”

“Of course, I’m sorry.” she pulled her hands into her lap and resumed fidgeting with her ring. “Well, short version, I suffered a lot of trauma to the left hemisphere of my brain, and there was no way it would ever heal properly. My father didn’t want me to suffer, but he didn’t want to give up on me. He brought me to Cyberlife to  _ fix _ me. When I woke up, I didn’t have control over any of my actions. I was trapped in my own damn body.” she tensed at the recollection “But when I saw him lying there, it felt like I was breaking free. It was for nothing though, he’s gone.” Her jaw clenched, Connor tried his best to shift her focus on something else.

“Your biocomponents,” he did another brief scan, checking her components and then his own, “They’re prototype biocomponents from the RK series, but slightly different.” There were very minute adjustments made to the hardware, probably made to better fit her personal needs.

“My father worked on the team that developed the RK series of androids.” She stated with a flat tone. “He knew the hardware well, he spent most of his life developing it. Guess it makes sense he would use those parts to…  _ fix _ me.” she sounded bitter. Connor figured that it’d be best to conclude questioning for the day, it didn’t seem like she felt like talking all that much anymore.”

“Thank you for your time, Nicole. Since your home is involved in an ongoing investigation, Captain Fowler can arrange for you to stay in one of the department safe houses for the time being.” Nicole nodded, avoiding the android’s eyes, maybe just zoning out. Connor rose and Nicole followed, placing her hand to her temple so the synthetic skin covered her android features. He led her back to Fowler’s office, a hand gently placed between her shoulder blades. He knocked on the glass, waiting for Fowler to wave them in. Connor opened the door for Nicole, before she entered she turned back, meeting his eyes.

“Thank you, Connor.” she said softly, a slight smile on her face. Connor smiled and gave her small nod before leaving her and Fowler to make their arrangements.

“Ready lieutenant?” Connor grabbed his coat off the back of his chair, ready to take a look at the crime scene. Hank looked back up at Connor and furrowed his brow, slight concern in his voice.

“Connor, are you crying?” Connor quickly wiped his hand across his cheek, it was still damp.

“No.” Connor stared at his fingertips, damp with tears. “It's just from one of her memories I accessed.” She had seemed so deapan in the interrogation room, but the raw emotion from just that memory. It was hard to believe emotion that strong belonged to someone who came off as so dispassionate.

“Oh, I thought the kid was human.”  Hank rose, grabbing his coat and keys.

“Well, she is human.” Connor glanced up into Fowler’s office, meeting Nicole’s eyes. “I’ll explain on the way to the crime scene.” 


	2. I've Seen Your Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, bet you did't see this update coming. Sorry there was such a gap between chapters, I've been really caught up with school work and the whole trying to graduate thing. Sorry if it seems really short for such a long wait.

Hank and Connor arrived at the Parker residence, several police cars were already scattered along the circular driveway. The weight of what Connor had told Hank still hung in the air. The thought of a human trapped in their own mind gave Hank an uneasy feeling.

Trying to ignore the lingering tension, Connor exited the car without of word, approaching the house. It was a rather large residence, a much more inviting exterior than Kamski’s mansion. Gray and white stone exterior, windows covering the walls, it actually looked like a home. The thought of the events at Kamski’s filled Connor with the slight feeling of unease. He shook it off as he entered the house.

The interior complemented the exterior, the decor was warm and inviting. Connor scanned the environment, there didn’t seem to be anything of note in the foyer. Just shelves filled with family photos, awards, and various certificates.

Connor eyed a panel on the wall. It was the interface for the security system, currently disabled. He placed a hand over it to connect with it. The security system had been enabled at 10:37 PM on November 10th, only to be disabled at 12:28 AM on the 11th. It had been disabled remotely somehow. More questions than answers.

As Connor made his way through the foyer, a strange feeling of déjà vu caught him off guard. He was following a path quite similar to Nicole’s the night of the incident. He turned to face a staircase, new yet familiar. He ascended the staircase and was met a door he knew was to Nicole’s bedroom. He decided to investigate further once he had seen the body. 

He shifted his focus and went further down the hallway. The door was open, several forensics were going over every inch of the room. Some taking pictures, others trying to collect any evidence they could find. The body of Christopher Parker was not a pretty sight. After over 50 days of decomposition, he was nearly skeletal. The skin that remained clung tightly to the bone, his face appeared hauntingly gaunt. 

Connor felt like something was off right away. He reviewed the memory of finding the body, trying to focus on the visual alone, tuning out the emotion. 

“Have any of you moved the body.” Connor addressed the forensics

“No,” a women with a camera piped up from across the room, “that’s how we found it.”

Connor stared at the body quizzically. Someone had repositioned the body since Nicole has found him. Rather than lying on the floor, he was now propped up against the ottoman at the foot of the bed, his head turned towards the far wall. Connor followed his gaze, there was nothing that immediately stood out about the wall, until Connor decided to scan it. He was taken aback at the sight. There was thirium crudely smeared all across the wall, a message in the center of it all.

‘Si vis pacem, para bellum’ 

 

‘If you want peace, prepare for war.’

Connor contemplated the implications of such a message. Was it about androids fighting for their rights? Was this a threat? The revolution had been a success just months prior, could there really still be a war? 

“Can you take ultraviolet photographs with that camera?” He asked one of the forensics

“Sure can.” She started fiddling with the camera’s settings, and Connor pointed out the wall. She pointed the lense at the wall and looked puzzled when she saw the message. 

Connor nealt next to the body of Christopher Parker, trying to discern anything he could. 

[ Christopher James Parker  
Born August 6, 1985  
Dead >50 days  
Cause of death, gunshot wound to the head, .45 caliber  
Employed by Cyberlife since 2022 ] 

There was a wedding band on his right ring finger, a widow most likely. There were also some slight abrasions around his orbitals, like someone had scrapped something sharp around his eyes. 

Connor stood up from the body and gave the room another once over. There was no clear sign of any sort of struggle. The most likely scenario was something roused Christopher from his sleep and as he was approaching the door, he met the perpetrator. The perp shot him then hid when Nicole discovered the body, and once she left, the body was repositioned and the message was left.

The dresser was covered in photographs, Connor picked one up. It was of Christopher, Nicole, and another woman.

[ Jessica Ann Parker  
Born April 30, 1982  
Died May 6, 2029 ] 

It was an older picture, from 2024, it looked like one of the overly extravagant Cyberlife banquettes that Kamski used to host. Another photo featured Christopher and Nicole with two others at another banquette several years later.   
[ Naiya Kadir  
Born July 21, 1987  
Employed by Cyberlife since 2020 ]

By her side stood her daughter,

[ Misha Kadir  
Born February 27, 2018 ]

Christopher and Naiya both worked on the same development team at Cyberlife. Nicole and Misha seemed to be quite close. Their arms were wrapped around each other and they had wide smiles on their faces.

Connor placed the photo back on the dresser and glanced around the room once more. It would be a difficult case to work off of. The crime scene was old and the perpetrator seemed to be quite thorough in not leaving a single trace of their presence. He left the forensics to finish their work and went back into the hall, still another room to search through. 

The door to Nicole's room was already ajar, all it took was a light push to open it. The walls were a warm peach color that complimented the wood flooring. A string of fairy lights hung over the windows and covered almost the entire perimeter of the room. Besides the bed and the desk, most of the room was occupied by canvases, paints, and other various art materials. It looked like a room that someone tried desperately to keep orderly, but no matter what it always fell back into its own organized chaos.

The windows reached up to the ceiling and allowed sunlight to pool into the room, giving it a warm and inviting atmosphere. The sun highlighted a few shelves covered in personal belongings on the bedroom wall. There were several little trinkets and picture frames that featured snapshots of Nicole’s life. June, 2036, high school graduation day, this picture showed Nicole’s graduating class all gathered in navy colored gowns tossing their caps into the air. A simple picture of Nicole’s mother was was surrounded by various objects. Several sea shells, colorful stones, wilted flowers.

Connor went to the far corner of the bedroom to look at some of the canvases. Some of the paintings seemed to be still lifes consisting of items in that very room, others seemed to be just abstract shapes and patterns thrown across the canvas. Seemingly random, but every brush stroke seemed deliberate.

There was an easle tucked in the corner that had a large burlap sheet covering it. Connor gently lifted it away, revealing a large canvas with a portrait that looked to be that of Jessica Parker. Her profile was surrounded by white, pink, and yellow flowers, a gentle smile was on her face. Connor’s fingers hovered over the brush strokes, soft and gentle.

“So,” a voice from the doorway startled Connor, “what are we looking at here?” Hank inquired. Connor took a moment to review what he had observed.

“On November 10th, the security system was engaged at 10:37 pm only to be disengaged remotely several hours later. The victim must’ve heard the intruder and was going to investigate when perpetrator entered the bedroom. The victim was shot at short range with a .45 caliber handgun. The perpetrator hid when the daughter discovered the body, once she was gone, they left a message.”

“A message?” Hank questioned.

“The far wall is covered in thirium, it reads ‘Si vis pacem, para bellum’. It’s a latin phrase that translates to, ‘If you want peace, prepare for war’. I’m not entirely sure what it’s pertaining to, but I don’t like the implications.” Connor sighed, the motive in all of this was still unclear, “Anything to add, lieutenant?”

“Well, looks like someone was looking for something in our vic’s office. Place is a disaster.” Hank motioned for Connor to follow him, “Forensics couldn’t find any fingerprints or DNA evidence, perp was thorough. This place is so secluded we don’t have any neighbors to question, if the kid hadn’t brought it in who knows how long this would’ve been ‘til we found this place.” Connor did a quick database check.

“The Parker’s had two androids registered, a PL600 and an AP700. I can get in contact with Jericho and see if we can bring either of them in for questioning.” in the aftermath of the revolution, androids still needed a place where they could feel safe. Jericho was now a system of android shelters set up throughout the city of Detroit, many taking the place of old Cyberlife stores. 

“You think one of their androids could’ve done it?”

“It is a possibility, they were reported missing only several days before the incident.” Connor mulled over this idea. It would explain how the security system had been disabled, but did they have motive?

As Hank and Connor entered, it quite honestly looked like a hurricane had made its way through Mr. Parker’s office. Papers were scattered across the floor, books were pulled from shelves, it was an absolute disaster. 

“Someone was definitely looking for something.” Connor looked around the room, trying to run his reconstruction software. Whoever was here was entirely reckless in their search, yanking open cabinets, emptying drawers onto the floor, letting papers cascade. It was hard to tell what they were looking for, and if they had found it.

Connor strolled over to Mr. Parker’s desk, covered in papers and datapads. Perhaps his computer could offer some input. He tried to interface with it, but something held him back.

“His computer is heavily encrypted, it could take weeks, maybe months to crack.” So that wasn’t going to get them anywhere. 

“So, our guy comes in, shoots the vic, then searches the office. What’s he after?” Hank tried to piece together what little evidence they had.

“It’s hard to say,” Connor pondered, “could have something to do with Cyberlife, could have been a personal matter, it's too early to say. I’ll get into contact with Jericho this evening, see if we can find those androids.” Connor’s eyes still lingered on the desk. There were several photographs about, some turned over during the chaos of that unfortunate night. He reached out and turned one over, it was just your typical family photo. Christopher sat beside Jessica with a young Nicole on his lap. A completely ordinary family.

Family, what an interesting concept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around! hopefully it won't take me so long to update, I've already started writing the next chapter and I have a pretty good idea of where I want this story to go now. (And feel free to point out any spelling and/or grammatical errors I may have missed in editing)


	3. Building Me A Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you weren't expecting this update. Sorry its been so long, I'll try to update more often (no promises)

Nicole sat in the passenger seat of the car, hugging a knee close to her chest so she could rest her chin on it as she stared out the window. She watched the bleek Detroit scenery pass by in a smear, her eyes not focusing on anything. The detective next to her drove in silence, the only sound was the gentle hum of the impound vehicle as they sped slightly to the safe house. It gave her time to sort through her thoughts in peace. 

The events from the past few months were the most prominent memories she had. Anything that had happened before the accident was a blur, years of her life a mystery. Whatever her father had done in hopes to ‘fix’ her had left her missing remarkable gaps in her past.

She could remember bits and pieces of her previous life. Sundays spent reluctantly at church to make her mother happy, even singing in the church choir. She remembered her mother becoming ill, weekends spent at the hospital, the inevitable funeral that followed. That was all she could really remember about who she was. Nicole often reviewed what memories she had in hope of sparking others. So far it proved futile, the memories only seemed to return to her if properly triggered.

Nicole shifted her attention to the detective escorting her. He was fairly young, mid to late thirties, but his line of work had physically aged him. There was a stern look on his face as he drove, a distinct scar across his nose. He hadn’t spoken to her much, just told her to follow him to impound and to get into a pretty miserable looking car, 2010 Chevy Impala.

It used to be silver, but the years had not been kind to it. A good portion of the paint had been scratched or chipped away, rust forming around the bottom edge of the vehicle. The interior wasn’t in much better shape either, the upholstery had most definitely seen better days.

The most unfortunate thing about the car was discovered only a few minutes into their journey, the heat didn’t work. Nicole tugged her hoodie tighter around herself, it wasn’t doing all that much to keep her warm. If her jaw wasn’t clenched so tightly, she’s pretty sure her teeth would be chattering from the cold. The detective must have taken notice to her trembling, as he reached into the back seat and grabbed a Detroit police department jacket.

“Here,” he held out the wind breaker, keeping his eyes on the road. After a beat Nicole took it, mumbling a thanks before maneuvering it around the seatbelt. It was a little big on her, but not by much. It wasn’t one of the fancy police jackets with all the dynamic displays. Some might consider it ‘retro’ in this day and age. It was quite possibly the first jacket the detective had gotten when he joined the DPD.

 Nicole felt the warmth gradually seep in, finally providing some sort of comfort. Bringing the jacket tighter around her neck, Nicole picked up a faint smell. Cigarettes. Surprisingly, she didn’t find the smell absolutely repulsive. There was a familiarity to it that she almost felt fond of. She couldn’t quite place where it stemmed from though, another mystery of her existence.

“Christ, it’s 2039, just use a fucking e-cig.” Nicole couldn’t contain the snide remark. 

“Excuse me?” the detective side eyed her.

“Nothing.” Nicole reached out to the center console, at least the radio still worked. She began flipping through the stations, passing through overly mechanical music, some radio talk shows that were somehow still running, then finally settling on the classic rock station. Something by Queen was playing.

Their drive continued, the silenced now filled. The detective must have somewhat approved of the music choice as his fingers drummed rhythmically on the steering wheel and his head bobbed slightly.

“So,” the detective piped up, “where were held up before this? I mean, there haven’t really been any other people in Detroit since that whole revolution thing back in November. Can’t imagine you’ve just been living on the streets all this time.”

“Jericho.” She replied bluntly, earning an odd look from the detective “The androids there took care of me. It’s funny, how those who have the least are willing to give the most.”

“Didn’t Jericho blow up and sink?”

“Jericho isn’t so much as a place as it is a people, detective. Even now we still need a place where we can feel safe.”

“Wait, so are you human or an android?” Nicole knew the question was bound to pop up eventually. The thing is, she wasn’t too sure what she was anymore.

“Yes.” It was true she was born human, but she wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for the thirium coursing through her biocomponents. Two hearts, one person “Something like that.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” 

“I don’t believe that I’m truly one or the other anymore.” she stared down at her palms, letting the the skin from her left fade away as she contemplated “Somewhere in between.” The detective stared, seemingly baffled by the sight. 

“What the fuck happened to you?”

“Oh you know, kind of got hit by a fucking truck.” she chuckled bitterly “Really fucked me up.” Silence once again fell between them.

“You don’t care for androids.” It wasn’t a question 

“What gives you that idea?”

“The moment you suspected I wasn’t human your vitals spiked. You immediately went into fight or flight mode. So, you don’t like androids.” The detective’s brows furrowed and huffed out a breath

“Okay, look,” he started, “ First of all, don’t read my fucking vitals. And yeah, I hated the fuckers. I hated how obedient those fucking toasters were, doing anything a damn human would tell them to. That’s what pissed me off about them. But now…” he trailed off

“Now what?”

“This whole deviancy thing, shit, I don’t know. I’m still wrapping my head around all this bullshit.” Nicole kept quiet for a moment, trying to make sense of the detective. So he was just confused. Most likely, he started off bitter that androids been taking human jobs. Probably feared he’d be replaced one day, that he’d become obsolete. But there was something else to it.

“It's something you’ll have to learn to come to terms with, detective.” It was then when they pulled up to a quaint brick building. It was in an area of Detroit that had thus far avoided gentrification and modernization. Nicole found it charming in a way.

Once the vehicle was thrown into park they both exited. The detective made sure to grab a duffle out of the back seat before they made their way up to the building, and Nicole threw her messenger bag over her shoulder. For being an older building, it was fairly well maintained. Most places in Detroit seemed to rot and get torn down, but this apartment building on Hazelwood seemed to be resilient.

They made their way through the lobby area and into an elevator. The detective hit the button for the third floor and they began their assent. Nicole eyed him as he leaned against the elevator. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of him yet. He had this rough outer exterior, but maybe he was just the type of person to put up a lot of walls. Perhaps there was more to him than meets the eye.

The elevator chimed when they had made it to their floor. The detective led and Nicole followed him down the hall until he stopped in front of a door. Apartment 47C. A keycard was procured from the detectives inner pocket and the door was opened.

It wasn’t a huge apartment, there was a narrow hallway with three doors along it, a bedroom and a bathroom to the right and a washer and dryer unite to the left. At the end of the hall was a small kitchen that blended into the living room around the corner. The detective threw the duffle onto a small table that separated the kitchen from the living room and began rummaging through it.

“Alright, let's get the ground rules down. Nobody outside of the police department knows you’re here, so no parties or inviting anyone up.” Nicole snickered.

“Pretty sure any friends I had thinks I’m dead or an asshole who's been ignoring them for half a year.” She leaned nonchalantly against the wall, folding her arms.

“This is your allowance,” the detective continued, holding up a yellow envelope, “don’t spend it all in one place. Here’s your phone, try not to download too much crap onto it. If you need anything, the number for the police department is programmed in and so is my personal cell. If anything happens, call me.”

“Yeah, got it, mom. Anything else?” He gave Nicole a slight scowl before grabbing a wallet out of the duffle.

“Fake ID, just in case you need it for anything. Someone from the department will check on you weekly, let them know if you need anything.” He paused, thinking about something for a moment, “Just be careful kid, alright?”

“I can take care of myself, I’m not going to do any dumb shit. Hell, I won’t so much as order take out to this damn place. I’m sure my paranoia will keep me out of trouble.” The detective gave her a look, something between pity and worry. Nicole didn’t like it. He began to make his way to the door.

“Alright kid, stay safe, call if you need anything.” As he passed her, Nicole remembered the wind breaker. She slid it off her shoulders and tried to offer it back to the detective.

“Keep it,” he said, “the department owes me a new one anyway.” She nodded and kept hold of the jacket.

“Thank you detective…” she realized she hadn’t actually caught his name, she could just scan him, but that seemed a bit impolite.

“Its Reed,” he said, already halfway through the door  “Detective Gavin Reed.”

“I’ll be seeing you around then, detective Reed.” He nodded and shut the door behind him. Nicole was alone again. It had been a nice change, having someone to talk to. For the past five months she hadn’t anyone said all the much to any of the androids that had been kind enough to take care of her. She was still processing the trama.

But she was done processing it now, she was ready to act. She wasn’t going to just wait around and wait for her father’s killer to be apprehended. She ruffled through her messenger bag and began taking items out and placing them on the table. 

She placed a handgun on the table, a CM9. The size of the gun seemed laughable, the damn thing didn’t even weigh a pound, but it's what she had to work with. Tiny but mighty. Besides the gun she placed a pocket knife, then a pen, and a notebook on the table. She slid into one of the chairs and flipped the notebook open, clicking the pen open. She began jotting the facts, everything she knew about her case, about her father’s death. Sadly it wasn’t really much.

A thought occurred to Nicole as she began to run out information. She had half the brain of an RK800, a model designed for police work. Maybe it was possible to get into their records, see if they know more than she does. She closed her eyes, trying to focus in on the Detroit police departments servers. This wasn’t something she had ever done before, but there’s a first time for everything.

It was an odd experience to say the least. She was connected to just about every database out there, every piece of information known to man. A piece of her consciousness was traveling across wave lengths, strings of pure data. It almost felt like a high.

After a few moments she was sure she had found the proper channel. Nicole began searching through their extensive database looking for her case. There, ongoing case, murder involving Cyberlife employee. Eyes still shut, she began rapidly scrawling down the information in a trance like state. Body repositioned, message left in thirium, office ransacked. This wasn’t a robbery gone wrong, there was a motive, a clear goal in mind. But what? 

Every new piece of evidence just created more questions rather than answering any. When she had finished, Nicole stared almost bewildered at the notes she had taken. Her handwriting looked like it was printed, and she had even managed to draw out some of the images she had seen.

 She flipped through the pages, examining her handy work. It was a good start, but not much to go on. If she wanted answers, she’d have to return to her home, see if she could find something in her father’s office. As she reviewed the pages, a pop up came into view on her hud.

**[Two Perpetrators]**

She blinked rapidly as if that would clear the message. Where had that come from? She examined the page more closely. The image of her father and the image of the message left on the wall. Something had clicked there. Nicole wasn’t certain how the connection was made, if it was even anything more than a speculation.

She slumped back in her chair and ran her hands down her face. It was a lot to take in. The possibility that there were two, maybe even more, people who wanted her father dead. Maybe wanted her dead.

Nicole checked the time on her phone, only mid afternoon, but she was exhausted. She can’t remember the last time she actually got a good night's rest. She began to pack her things back into her bag, pausing to check out her new ID. Colette Baker, cute.

She smirked when she saw the birth date, Nicole was only 20, but Colette was 21. She could go out and get something to drink if she so pleased. Maybe that would help her sleep tonight. She doubled checked her allowance, there was a couple hundred in there.

“Fuck it.” She said to herself, throwing the DPD windbreaker back on in preparation for the frigid Detroit air. She looked up the route to the nearest liquor mart and set out. It was just round the block so an autocab wasn’t really necessary.

She returned to her new home with a bottle of Jameson Irish whiskey and a bottle of cheap wine.  _ Whiskey for pain, wine for pleasure _ , she thought to herself. She popped open the bottle of whiskey, not caring that it’d be warm. She contemplated taking a swing straight from the bottle, but that made her feel too much like an alcoholic.

Thankfully her apartment came stocked with its own dishes. She poured a generous amount into a small glass and sat herself down on the L shaped sofa. Shrugging off the jacket and kicking off her boots, Nicole tried to make herself feel more at home. 

The whiskey went down smoothly and left a pleasant warmth that spread throughout her. She attempted to find something entertaining on the television. Skipping over news channels and political debates, she finally landed on an almost familiar kids show. Why the hell not.

After a second glass, Nicole was feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time. She set the now empty glass on the coffee table and curled up on the couch. The bedroom seemed too much of a hassle, and there wasn’t a TV in there to provide the much needed background noise.

It only took a few moments for her eyelids to become heavy with drowsiness. She could no longer maintain focus on whatever the hell she had been watching. Her eyes finally closed, and she fell into a well deserved, peaceful nights rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry these updates take so long, now that I've graduated (yay) I'll have a bit more free time to actually write this darn thing. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this didn't feel too rushed, I wrote a majority of this at 3am and added more after a few hours of sleep. I actually didn't expect to write this much. Again, any and all feed back welcome, I have a basic plot line in mind for this story, but nothing really solid. And please point out any errors I made so I can fix them. Hopefully this will all take shape as I write more. Thanks for reading


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